The Portuguese Foreign Minister stressed yesterday that Russian attacks on the Ukrainian region of Odessa complicate the agreement signed with the UN for the export of Ukrainian cereals and that it is up to Moscow to “honor its word”
“It is obvious that the Russian attacks on Odessa do not help anything, they raise the question of whether Russia wants to honor its word, or if it just wanted to give in to intense international pressure to allow the flow of grain from Ukraine and then actually do nothing. ”, stressed João Gomes Cravinho.
The official was speaking today to the Lusa agency on the sidelines of his visit to Albania and North Macedonia, countries that have started negotiations to join the European Union (EU).
Despite underlining the “important diplomatic advance” that represented the signing of the agreements in Istanbul, Turkey, the minister recalled that it is now necessary “to move from the written word on paper to a real manifestation of availability”.
Moscow, like Kiev, signed an agreement last Friday to unblock Ukrainian cereal exports, which are crucial for global food security, pledging not to attack ports and ships, particularly in the Odessa region in southern Ukraine and along the Black Sea.
Ukrainian authorities today accused Russia of “massive attacks” in southern Ukraine, which mainly targeted a coastal village near Odessa and the port of Mykolaiv.
On Saturday, the day after the agreement was signed in Istanbul, Ukraine denounced a Russian attack on the trading port of Odessa, a key point for grain exports across the Black Sea.
João Gomes Cravinho stressed that it is up to Russia to “keep its word”.
On whether the attacks on Ukrainian ports, despite the agreement signed under the aegis of the UN and Turkey, could hamper a future peace agreement, the Foreign Minister said that “Russia’s word” suffers “evidently from a huge problem of credibility”.
“Putin lied for months before the invasion and carried out the invasion. After that, we see Russia systematically breaking the word. After the Istanbul accords, missiles were launched and [Moscow’s] first reaction was to say that it had nothing to do with that. Later they admitted that it had to do with them, but they came up with a story for which we have no basis to prove, saying that they were attacks against military bases”, said João Gomes Cravinho.
“There is a real credibility problem that Russia has and that can only be overcome by keeping your word,” he added.
Ukraine and Russia last Friday signed separate agreements with Turkey and the UN to unlock the export of some 25 million tonnes of grain held in Black Sea ports due to the ongoing war.
In a ceremony held at the Dolmabahçe Palace, two documents were signed – as Ukraine refused to sign the same paper as Russia – and the agreement should be in force for four months, however, it is renewable.
The Istanbul agreement includes two documents: one on Ukraine’s grain exports and another on the export of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers.
After two months of tough negotiations, the documents aimed to create a control center in Istanbul, headed by representatives of the parties involved: a Ukrainian, a Russian, a Turkish and a UN representative, who will have to establish the schedule for the rotation of ships in the Black Sea.
The agreement also means that ships carrying grain will be inspected to ensure that they do not take weapons to Ukraine.
Russia launched a military offensive in Ukraine on February 24 that has killed more than 5,100 civilians, according to the UN, which warns that the real number is likely to be much higher.
The Russian military offensive has caused more than 16 million people to flee, of which more than 5.9 million have fled the country, according to the latest UN figures.
The international organization has observed the return of people to Ukrainian territory, but warns that new waves of displacement are foreseen due to insecurity and the lack of gas and water supplies in areas affected by clashes.
Also according to the United Nations, more than 15.7 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Ukraine.
The Russian invasion was condemned by the international community in general, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and reinforcing economic and political sanctions on Moscow.
